The Commission of Inquiry into land matters headed by Justice Catherine Bamugemereire, was left disgusted, shocked and puzzled by the revelations of the former Kibaale District Land Board Chairman George William Tibyata Bigirwa, reports Isaac Baligema.
The 68-year old man shocked the public hearing hall here on Tuesday by the manner in which the board shared chunks of land amongst its members and other civil servants in the districts of Kibaale and Kagadi.
The commission discovered that for the five years Tibyata served as the Kibaale District Land Board boss, his main job was to ensure his colleagues and he execute the loot and indeed they did!
The retired civil servant who also served as a health inspector fraudulently obtained over 285 acres at Buswaka, 265 acres at Kiryanjeje, 190 acres at Wabinyama and 50 acres Ndaiga; the huge parcels of land are located between Kibaale and Kagadi districts.
The elderly man also helped the former Kibaale District LCV, his wife and his son obtain chunks of land which they later sold to Uganda Land Commission at a staggering sh2.2b!
Each person who obtained these huge pieces of land would spend a maximum of sh70, 000 to own them and later process a freehold title and rush to Uganda Land Commission to be compensated through the land fund and indeed many of them turned into instant millionaires, others billionaires.
Commission puzzled
The commissioners were visibly disturbed, disgusted and puzzled by the shocking revelations which prompted the former Attorney General and one of the seven commissioners Frederick Ruhindi to ask Tibyata if he thinks he never abused his office to which he responded, ‘I am sorry!’.
Due to a forest of questions coming his way from the commissioners, Tibyata finally requested to be heard in-camera.
“My Lord there was a situation which prompted all these things and I request that I tell you everything in-camera for the safety of my life!” he cried out in rather a low tone.
The Judge granted him in-camera hearing later in the day.
After him however, the commission was headed for another heartbreak from the former Secretary of Kibaale District Land Board Xavier Joseph Kiiza who took the land spree to another level.
The 41-year old Kiiza at one point authored to himself a letter Okaying him to survey his 101 hectares (over 300 acres) which was a conflict of interest and utter abuse of office! The commissioners were visibly bamboozled!
Kiiza would be allocated at least a piece of land every quarter when the board would hold a meeting and it was not just a piece but hectares!
When asked by the Judge what he wanted to use the land for, he said that his intentions were and are to plant trees to contribute to the depleted environment in the country generally. His response through the hearing hall into rib-breaking laughter!
Other beneficiaries from the land bonanza at Kibaale include John Kabigumire (the former Kibaale District Land Management Officer), Rogers Kwezi (the former Kibaale District Planner), Dennis Musinguzi (the former Kibaale District Staff Surveyor), Councillors, LCV his wife and son, among other civil servants and people in security circles who got chunks of land and ran to Uganda Land Commission to fraudulently benefit from the land fund which turned many into instant millionaires and billionaires.
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